Spain vs Türkiye: High-stakes clash in Seville tonight

The match to be played at La Cartuja Stadium in Seville will start at 22:45 Turkish time and will be broadcast live on TV8.

The match will be officiated by German referee Felix Zwayer. His assistants will be Robert Kempter and Christian Dietz from the same country. The fourth official will be Sven Jablonski, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency.

Before the final group matches in Group E, Spain and Turkey have already secured a top-two finish. Our national team is second with 12 points, while Spain leads with 15 points. If Turkiye wins, overall goal difference will be considered. Before the last match, Spain has a 14-goal advantage over Turkiye. For Turkiye to finish first and qualify directly for the World Cup, the only mathematical possibility is to beat Spain by 7 goals.

Georgia has 3 points in the group, while Bulgaria has yet to earn a point.

In the group’s other match, Bulgaria will host Georgia at the same time tomorrow.

Group winner goes directly to the World Cup

The 2026 World Cup, hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada and featuring 48 teams, will include 16 European teams that qualify through the qualifiers.

In the European qualifiers ending in November, the 12 group winners will qualify directly for the World Cup.

The remaining 4 spots will be contested by 12 group runners-up plus 4 teams from the UEFA Nations League, making a total of 16 teams. Play-off matches will be held in March 2026.

İsmail and Hakan absent

For this match, İsmail Yüksek is suspended, and Hakan Çalhanoğlu, removed from the squad due to injury, will not play.

Three Turkish players—Kenan Yıldız, Kerem Aktürkoğlu, and Oğuz Aydın—are at risk of suspension. If any receives a yellow card in this match, they will miss the first play-off game in March.

Turkiye’s squad

Goalkeepers: Altay Bayındır, Mert Günok, Muhammed Şengezer, Uğurcan Çakır

Defenders: Abdülkerim Bardakcı, Çağlar Söyüncü, Mert Müldür, Ferdi Kadıoğlu, Merih Demiral, Samet Akaydin, Zeki Çelik, Mustafa Eskihellaç

Midfielders: Atakan Karazor, İsmail Yüksek, Kaan Ayhan, Orkun Kökçü, Salih Özcan

Forwards: Aral Şimşir, Arda Güler, Barış Alper Yılmaz, Deniz Gül, İrfan Can Kahveci, Kerem Aktürkoğlu, Oğuz Aydın, Kenan Yıldız, Yusuf Sarı

Spain’s squad

Goalkeepers: Unai Simon, David Raya, Alex Remiro

Defenders: Aymeric Laporte, Dani Vivian, Alejandro Grimaldo, Marcos Llorente, Marc Cucurella, Pau Cubarsi, Dean Huijsen, Pedro Porro

Midfielders: Fabian Ruiz, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino, Aleix García, Pablo Barrios, Alex Baena, Pablo Fornals

Forwards: Mikel Oyarzabal, Yeremy Pino, Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez, Jorge de Frutos, Ferran Torres, Samu Aghehowa, Borja Iglesias.